Lauren Benetua

Lauren Benetua (she/they) is an arts advocate and cultural worker. They hold a Masters in Museum Studies from the International Institute of Lorenzo de’ Medici (Florence, Italy) and a Bachelors in History of Art and Visual Culture from UC Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA). Their professional background is rooted in community engagement and social justice and they’ve had the pleasure to work with mission-driven, justice-oriented organizations across the Bay, focusing on social and cultural responsibility and equity, including Emerging Arts Professionals (San Francisco), Betti Ono (Oakland), the American Arts Incubator (San Jose), the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (Santa Cruz). They currently serve as the Associate Director of Data & Memberships for the OF/BY/FOR ALL initiative, a global nonprofit leading civic and cultural institutions worldwide to build equitable and liberatory futures with their communities. Lauren is also a dedicated cultural steward with a traditional arts practice as an apprentice weaver with Kalingafornia Laga weaving circle and with the San Francisco Kulintang Friends Project. Their studies under master-weaver and Kalinga culture-bearer, Jenny Bawer Young, for weaving, and with Kulintang teacher, Titania Buchholdt, for kulintang ensemble music, have both been recognized by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts. They have also had the pleasure of being recognized by the Western Arts Federation both as an emerging arts Leader of Color Fellow and as a BIPOC Artist awardee. Lauren’s passion is their community, and is convinced that creative changemaking rests at the intersection of courage and compassion.